​The 15 Best Action Movies on Netflix Right Now

If you subscribe to Netflix, and you use it with any frequency, then you know that a large chunk of it is so-so, a large(r) chunk of it is bargain-bin crap, and about three percent of it is worth your time. This list, we think, would fall into the latter category, especially if you can’t take one more stand-up special or you’re in the mood for something overtly violent. Here are the 15 best action movies on Netflix right now.

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15. Armageddon

Despite earning almost universally terrible reviews, Armageddon has enough explosions and over-the-top action to justify investing two hours of your life watching a movie that doesn’t make any sense. The film sees blue collar drillers transform into astronauts over the course of about two weeks so that they can stop an asteroid from wiping out civilization. Seems like it’d be easier to train astronauts to be drillers instead of the other way around but—you know. It should go without saying that this was directed by Michael Bay. Seek it out for nostalgic purposes, or seek it out to see what motivated the ancient tribes of 1998 to make it the second-highest grossing film of that year.

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14. The Siege of Jadotville

It’s a Netflix original about a real battle you’ve probably never heard of, fought over the course of nearly a week by a highly outnumbered Irish battalion in Central Africa. There are lots of clichés in it, but *shrugs* whatever, it’s good. The action sequences are high quality, the combat’s tight, and it’s a war movie that isn’t about World War II. That last point alone should be enough to warrant some consideration from you.

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13. From Dusk Till Dawn

A cult hit about a pair of scumbag brothers (George Clooney and Quentin Tarantino) who bump into a pastor and his two kids, and head to a Mexican strip club to meet a criminal contact at dawn. The only problem is that the club is filled with vampires. It's based on a true story, I think.

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12. Get the Gringo

This movie kind of tanked at the box office, and though that sucks for the people who put their money into it, it also means there’s a decent chance you haven’t seen it. Mel Gibson stars as the titular “Gringo,” because he’s one of like, three, Americans locked in the film's terrible and corrupt Mexican prison. Basically, it’s an entertaining romp where Mel Gibson kicks the crap out of lowlifes for an hour-and-a-half, which is like all his movies, except for What Women Want. And that’s probably only because he didn’t write that one.

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11. Bad Boys II

A movie about a pair of cops who leave such a trail of collateral damage and death that it makes their heroics look like more of a headache for the city of Miami than the drug problem they’re trying to stop. Still, it has a solid rapport between Will Smith and Martin Lawrence. Through it all, they’re cracking jokes and busting each other’s balls, rather than suffering from the devastating trauma just about anyone else would deal with if they went through the same scenarios.

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10. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl

When this movie first entered everyone's radar in 2003, you’d be forgiven for thinking that a film about a Disney ride with singing pirates would totally suck. I know I did. And that’s why I’m writing lists on the Internet instead of basking in my millions: no vision.

Anyway, as you know, this was the start of the film franchise, and it’s also the best of all the bloated, endless series Hollywood has to offer. Feel free to comment, “Oh, that’s saying a lot,” in a sarcastic voice if you must, but it actually is a good flick. Now may also be the perfect time to watch it, since the fifth edition of the franchise is set to come out later this summer.

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9. V for Vendetta

V for Vendetta is the tale of one man sparking a revolution against an oppressive, tyrannical government running a dystopian UK. That’s how you know it’s a fantasy. After all, if it were based on a true story, this movie would just show people hashtagging and tweeting at politicians they didn’t like for a few hours, or until everyone walked out of the theater.

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8. Ip Man 1, 2, and 3

In case it isn’t clear, Ip Man 1, 2, and 3 isn’t the name of one horribly-titled film, but is rather a trio of biopics based extremely loosely on the life of Ip Man, a famed martial artist who actually happened to train Bruce Lee. The best of the bunch is the first. The second one is about his move to Hong Kong. And the third one has Mike Tyson playing the role of a street fighter. It's worth watching for that reason alone.

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7. Hot Fuzz

This movie is the story of a hotshot London cop who gets reassigned to what he initially thinks is a boring beat in an idyllic village. Obviously, if it ended there, it would be kind of dull. But instead he stumbles upon a number of suspicious murders that have been written off as accidents. It then becomes a buddy action comedy about cops unraveling a massive conspiracy. The more you like British people, the higher this will be on your personal list.

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6. Hellboy

I had no familiarity with Hellboy comics when I went and saw this in theaters back in 2004. But its combination of superheroes, dark religious themes, the paranormal, and humor made me a fan. It’s unfortunate that Hollywood is an industry where blockbusters need to be surefire hits to justify their expense, meaning a third film will (in the words of director Guillermo Del Toro) “100 percent not happen.” I guess what I’m saying is that you should get into it, but don’t get too into it.

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5. 13 Assassins

There’s a lot of kung-fu on Netflix. Like, a lot. If that’s your thing then forget this list and just dive in. Also, quit your job.

There might be some kung-fu on Netflix that’s as goodas13 Assassins—keyword: might—but there’s probably nothing better. It’s about a leader who torments his own people before—well, we won't give away any spoilers. It’s got tons of great fights, and though you think that might be implied by saying it’s the best kung-fu flick on the service, we mean it. It’s a cut above the rest.

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4. Big Trouble in Little China

John Carpenter’s mix of fantasy, comedy, and martial arts was a total flop when it came out, but since then a cult following has come to appreciate what moviegoers in 1986 clearly did not. Even if you’re a fan of action films, which is likely if you clicked on this article, you probably still get sick of the genre's clichéd protagonists. You know, like the guy who always has a quip ready to go, along with the the skills to kick the ass of everyone in the room (no matter how formidable that room is). If you need a break from that archetype, then this is the movie for you. It’s got great fight scenes, an intentionally absurd plot, and a hero just dim enough to make it all work.

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3. Jurassic Park

If you and your buddies have ever thought about getting rich by cloning extinct dinosaurs from strands of extracted DNA, and then using said dinosaurs to furnish an insanely lucrative zoo-slash-theme park, this movie might just be what it takes to change your mind. Steven Spielberg’s epic shows everything that can wrong when something as simple as a power outage at this extravagant fantasyland occurs. What results is a lot of running away. It makes you feel lucky that an asteroid took these things out for us.

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2. Captain America: Civil War

Outside of, like, Breaking Bad, and a few originals, here’s one of the few recent blockbusters that justifies Netflix's monthly charge to your debit card. Captain America against Iron Man? Sounds like (and is) a winner. In fact, we can’t possibly imagine how pitting two A-list superheroes against one another could turn out poorly.

*Thinks back to Batman v Superman.*

Oh, wait, never mind.

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1. Braveheart

Mel Gibson may be freakin’ crazy, but he does know how to make kick-ass movies. You won’t find a better example of that than Braveheart. For those of you who’ve seen it 20 times, you already know that it holds up after multiple viewings. And, for those of you who somehow haven’t, it’s time for you to finally watch the movie that had people screaming “FREEEEEDOMMMM!!!” about 10 years longer than it was actually funny for.

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